Ottawa buildings to be transformed into dedicated Indigenous space
100 Wellington St. and 119 Sparks St. to become headquarters for Inuit, First Nations and Métis governance, cultural events and meetings
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, left, joins National Assembly of First Nations Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and Métis National Council president Victoria Pruden Tuesday in signing an agreement to establish a permanent Indigenous Peoples’ Space in Ottawa. (Photo by Nehaa Bimal)
Two Ottawa buildings near Parliament Hill, including the former U.S. Embassy, are set to become a permanent space for Indigenous work.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree signed an agreement with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and other national Indigenous leaders Tuesday in Ottawa to transform buildings at 100 Wellington St. and 119 Sparks St., and a connecting infill space, to a national space for Indigenous governance and culture.
This move will ensure First Nations, Inuit, and Métis are no longer treated as “visitors” when conducting business in Ottawa, Obed said at the signing ceremony.
The space will serve as a venue for governance, cultural events and meetings. The full redevelopment will take up to a decade, with interim public exhibition spaces opening before the final redevelopment.
The building at 100 Wellington St. is the former U.S. Embassy. It had been vacant for over 20 years until 2017, when the federal government announced plans to use it as a space dedicated for Indigenous use.
“The history of that particular footprint being the U.S. Embassy is an interesting juxtaposition of where we are today,” Obed said, referring to the U.S. imposition of tariffs on Canada on Tuesday.
“This announcement is an act of diplomacy between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.”
The federal 2024 budget includes $4.2 million over two years, starting in 2024–25, to support the design process, which will be Indigenous-led.
So does this mean they will be closing the ITK and AFN offices in ottawa?
You have to hand it to Natan, he’s squeezing every drop he can from Brofriend Trudeau before this government finally collapses into ash.
I worked at 100 Wellington through the 1980s, when it was the American Embassy. Although it’s a lovely building, it rivals 24 Sussex for neglect and repair, even then. Beautiful wood panelling and a classic brass elevator, but single-pane bronze framed windows, masonry (terra cotta) walls with little or no insulation, furnaces the size of trucks to keep it warm in the winter, and a garland of air conditioners in summer to fight the heat. I hope funding for renovation is extensive …. regards Barry Davis